mmm... map-a-riffic

Last month, in anticipation of my move from one part of California to another, I decided to ditch Verizon Wireless and switch to T-Mobile, as my plan didn’t have free long distance, nor did it have nationwide coverage (it was some obscure, cheap local plan that Verizon doesn’t even offer anymore).

Anyhow, long story short, I went with the white Blackberry 8100 Pearl, since you can now find it “free” from many online retailers (plus $50 cash-back after mail in rebate). Got the white one because it’s prettier (heh).

At first, free for a ~$300 phone sounds cool, but of course you gotta get the two year contract. Plus a plan that’s at least $39.99, and a data plan for $19.99 (minimum of six months). Don’t forget the setup fee of $35.

So in total I paid $10 for some random service charge the wireless dealer charged for the phone. The $50 rebate will cover that charge plus the initial setup fee, whenever the rebate gods decides to mail the check to me.

First month’s bill? $89.95 (eeesh).

And so the phone’s hardly free, as I’m required to have a $20 data plan for six month that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.

I’ve also bought a $27 micro SD memory card (2 gb). Which was a bit stupid because:

  1. It’s been establish that I don’t listen to music
  2. I don’t really care much for taking pictures too

I was thinking about canceling the data plan after six months, but now that I have email, internet and Google map (at a slow speed of 115 kbps) at my fingertips, I’m swaying a bit in my decision (plus you can plug the Pearl into any laptop and use it as a modem).

At the end, I’ll still most likely cancel the data plan, as $60+ a month for a cell phone service is just too bling bling for this cheap bastard (although Google map really saved my ass lately as I roam around the streets of Mountain View and San Fransisco).

The phone’s camera is fairly neato too:

Yesterday, I went to Target in Sunnyvale to stock up on food and random household supplies. To my ghetto surprise, the Target in question was a two-story building! Wowzer!

My first thought was: how the heck are they going to get the shopping cart onto the second floor? And then my question was answered:

An escalator, for shopping carts! Wowzer!

An escalator for shopping carts! Wooooo!

Naturally, I quickly took out my fancy new phone, snapped a picture (as my fellow escalator riders looked on with dismay), and continued to ogle all over the contraption as people walk by trying not to stare.

Good times.

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